Among the critical skills required for competitive golfing, putting, arguably, is one of the most important. On an 18-hole course, not less than half of the par strokes are dedicated to putting. The successful putting stroke requires accurate aim and a measured amount of is momentum in the ball strike. The slope of the playing surface, which in some cases is too subtle for casual notice, may cause the ball to “break” from a straight line approach.
Training aids to assist the recreational golfer in mastering putting are known in the art. Most of these provide alignment guides and some attempt to limit the backstroke of the swing by providing a stop interface. An initial alignment can be lost, however, by contact with rails, or stops, which are intended to guide or limit the head of the putter club during the club swing. As a matter of fact, some alignment can be lost in the act of making a backstroke, which, together with the forward stroke and follow-through, comprises the golf swing.
What is missing in the field of art is a training aid which is free of interferences for the swing while, at the same time, providing accurate aiming and precision application of ball-striking force. Such a guide should be compact for portability and accessibility while simple to operate and modest in cost.